Racket Squad in Action #2

This 1952 Charlton title puts the spotlight squarely on the con artists and swindlers preying on everyday people, with a cover by Albert Tyler that packs in a vivid collage of criminal schemes — a stern uniformed officer looms large alongside a glamorous dark-haired woman, a blonde woman clutching papers, and bold labels calling out "The Hollywood Story Swindle," "Lonely Hearts Racket," "The Phoney Directory Racket," and "Fake Games," all punctuated by a big graphic "BANG!" Interior art comes from Dick Giordano, whose work brings the same street-level energy to the story "The Two Buck Hype." At just ten cents, Racket Squad in Action #2 offered readers a sharp, no-nonsense look at the scams lurking just beneath the surface of postwar American life.